Use Nеwѕlеttеrѕ tо Turn A Prоѕресt Intо A Cuѕtоmеr

Marketing professionals often refer to the "Rule of Seven." This
rule states that on average, a prospect needs to see or hear your
marketing message seven times before they take action. Now, the
number may vary slightly depending on your industry, but the basic
truth remains the same - it is unlikely a prospect will become a
customer the first time they hear your name.

Why is this? The prospect may not need your service at this
time, they may not be sure of what your service is, they may be
worried about the price. But the most likely reason is they are
unsure of you. They are asking themselves: are you reliable,
knowledgeable, trustworthy? Does your product or service perform as
advertised?

So how do you reach your prospects seven times and prove
yourself without wasting time, money or ticking them off? A great
way to achieve this is sending a newsletter. A regular newsletter
that is heavy on relevant content and light on sales messages will
grab your prospects' interest and allow them time to get to know
you.

Newsletter that offer the latest information in your field or
tips that help the readers increase your credibility. If the
information provided is useful, the reader will spend more time
reading your newsletter than they would a brochure or sales letter.
The readers may begin looking forward to your newsletter.

At this point you are no longer an anonymous firm selling your
product or service - you are a familiar name who has provided
useful information for free. They know you, like your newsletter
and hopefully have come to trust you. An added bonus: according the
Chicago’s Sales and Marketing Executive Report each
newsletter is passed on to an average of three more readers.

What’s the down side? A badly written newsletter can do
more harm than good. The worst newsletters are nothing more than
sales copy reformatted into a newsletter. While it is acceptable -
even necessary - to include a sales pitch in the newsletter, it
must not be the main focus of the newsletter. Without useful
information as the basis of your newsletter, you will annoy reader,
lose subscribers and miss an opportunity to gain their trust.

Coming up with good articles for your newsletter is one of the
toughest parts of producing a newsletter. The following list should
get you started and help identify topics that will grab the
readers’ attention while promoting your company:

New research in your field: Readers will appreciate being kept
abreast of new developments in your field, plus you will be seen as
someone who is knowledgeable and current.

Tips: Tips on product selection,
installation, maintenance, how to hire a professional, reminders
for seasonal repairs and maintenance.

How-to-articles: Similar to tips but more in
depth. Ideally the how-to article should show a reader how to solve
a problem your product or service can handle.

Case studies: A look at a how your product or
service helped solve a problem for one of your customers. Be sure
to focus on the problem and the results.

Legislation that affects your customers: An
accountant could write about changes to tax laws. A contractor
could write about building code changes.

Community affairs: Does your company sponsor an
event, make a donation or participate in the community. Let your
readers know.

Industry experts: Going to a trade show or
conference? Interview the speaker and write up the interview as a Q
& A article.

Creating a regular newsletter is not for the faint of heart. It
can be time consuming and challenging coming up with fresh ideas
for each issue. But the payoff in new customers and customer
loyalty can make it well worth the effort.